In many ways, diet is a dirty four-letter word. If someone told you to "go on a diet" you probably conjure up images of eating very little, feeling hungry and generally not enjoying the whole process. If you start a diet with this mindset, you are probably already thinking about finishing it too!

In reality, a diet should be more than a two-week period of food restriction and hunger. A diet should be something that you can stick with for the foreseeable future which optimizes your health and promotes slow and steady fat loss initially and then makes maintaining your weight a breeze thereafter.

In this article, I want to give you a list of five foods that almost everyone should be eating and that will keep you fit and healthy while helping you control your weight. Don’t worry if you don’t like any of the foods listed; they aren’t supposed to be compulsory! Instead, try to think of a similar food you can eat that will provide similar benefits.

Oatmeal

Breakfast is probably the most important meal of your daily diet. If you start your day right, you are much less likely to resort to eating junk food by mid morning! Oatmeal is a slow releasing unrefined carbohydrate which will keep you full up for a long time and also ensure you get a steady release of energy rather than an over-in-a-hour sugar rush.

The best oatmeal is organic jumbo steel cut but ultimately, any plain oatmeal will do so long as it isn’t one of those sugar-packed, artificially flavored, instant varieties which are just plain terrible.

Oatmeal is a great way to start your day and can be made with milk or water if you are concerned about fat loss.

Fish

Fish is a great source of protein and as many people’s diets are low in protein, adding more fish makes perfect sense. Protein can help elevate your metabolism which is important for fat loss and as fish is low in saturated fats, it can also make your diet healthier.

In addition to providing protein, fish also contains essential omega three fats which are incredibly healthy. Omega three fats are linking to a reduction in coronary heart disease and stroke risks, improved cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels, reduced inflammation, healthier hair and skin and even improved memory. Eating fish makes sense for just about everyone – make it part of your diet today!

Vegetables

Vegetables are nature’s own vitamin supplement and yet so many people consume far too few in their diet. To make sure you are getting enough vegetables, try to include fresh veg at most of your meals and eat a variety of different vegetables throughout the week.

Vegetables are generally very low in calories, the main exception being potatoes. This means you can really fill up on vegetables which will stop you eating so much calorie-dense food like bread, rice or pasta and that can really help with fat loss.

Try swapping your lunchtime sandwich with a big salad. You’ll feel just as full but end up eating a lot less calories. That’s a great fat loss diet tip!

If you can’t get fresh vegetables, frozen can be just as good but just avoid canned and processed vegetables as they are often high in sugar and salt and are also often stripped of their vitamin content.

Low fat yogurt

Low fat yogurt contains protein and calcium, both of which can help with fat loss. A good low fat yogurt, served with some soft fruit and a drizzle of honey, is really tasty and also very good for you. You can also freeze it to make your own frozen dessert which tastes so good it’s hard to believe that it should be allowed on any diet!

Low fat yogurt is low in calories and creamy to eat and you can enjoy it just about any time – even as a healthy alternative breakfast or evening treat. Keep a pot in your refrigerator so that, the next time you get a craving for pudding, you have a diet and fat loss-friendly alternative close to hand.

Water

Okay, so water isn’t really a food but it’s actually more essential than the stuff we eat so it makes it onto my diet essentials list by default. Your body is around 70% water and if you fail to drink enough, everything from your brain function to your rate of fat loss can be affected. Plain water is also calorie free so it’s a great beverage when you are trying to lose fat – much better than soda and fruit juice.

Aim to drink around 5-8 pints of water during the day but go easy on your intake two hours or so before bed time unless you actually like getting up three times a night to pee!

My fabulous five foods should be part of just about everyone’s diet and I know, by adding them to yours, fat loss and weight management will be a whole lot easier.